[ale] OT: White flag drops and the fight continues

[Bob Toxen]

On Tue, Apr 01, 2003 at 01:09:16PM -0500, Dow Hurst wrote:
> Have you noticed how the "Linux" problems on the list have shifted quite 
> a bit in type and depth over the years?  I am a relative newbie to the 
> list compared to many but just in the few years I've listened the kind 
> of questions have shifted alot.  More  toward the GUI interactions than 
> kernel problems.  Actually the kernel questions are related to new 
> developments rather than "how do I make this work?"

> I use to see "how to setup PPP" questions, or "how to get a ethernet 
> card to work".  Or maybe, "how to run fsck" would be a question.  Plus, 
> a big question was "how to get X running on a certain video card."  Just 
> connecting to an ISP by figuring out the chat script was a bear.  Kernel 
> questions and hardware compatibility questions were more prominent and 
> Desktop GUI questions weren't nearly as common.

Ok, how DO I configure X on my Slackware 8.1 system?  I don't know
the card's specs and don't have the manual for the used IBM monitor
(19", I think)?  (I do have recent Mandrake CDs around but no disk
space to do a temporary Mandrake install to steal its X config file.)

Since 95% of the systems I build are servers (where X never should be run),
I'm weak in the X Department.

TIA

> So much of the basics are taken card of now by the distro's that many 
> people are not having to deal with setting up X manually, or compiling a 
> ethernet driver.  Actually, I've noticed that some questions asked now 
> are not answered since they deal with software that is too layered to 
> try to figure out via emailed info.  My own example is the hpoj 
> project's ptal startup scripts not working properly.  No one bit on 
> that.  I figured out what commands to give to make the printer get setup 
> correctly, but the commands have to be given manually until I can dive 
> into the startup scripts to figure out a longterm solution.

> I definitely wanted to kid Bob Toxen since I am one of his clients and I 
> know how little patching he has had to do. :-)

Don't say that.  You might want a reduction on the per month rate.  Actually,
I had to do the first of TWO sendmail severe remote root vulnerability
patches last month on the day I had to fly up to NYC to speak on Linux
security at IBM's Linux Competency Center.  The patch had to be tested,
of course.  On one client's RH7.1 (his choice) server, the patch expected
the sendmail.cf file and smrsh programs to be in different dirs, undocumented
of course.  It delayed me enough that I had to dodge 200 miles of dense
thunderstorm coverage.

Other than that, it's true.  There are few remote root vulnerabilities in
a properly configured Linux system and the need for patches are rare,
an order of magnitude rarer than WinBloz.

> Dow
Bob


> Danny Cox wrote:

> >Dow,
> 
> >On Tue, 2003-04-01 at 10:37, Dow Hurst wrote:
> 
> 
> >>No one to talk to about problems.
> >
> >
> 
> >	Really?  I thought that's what ALE was for! ;-)
> __________________________________________________________
> Dow Hurst                  Office: 770-499-3428
> Systems Support Specialist    Fax: 770-423-6744
> 1000 Chastain Rd. Bldg. 12
> Chemistry Department SC428  Email:   dhurst at kennesaw.edu
> Kennesaw State University         Dow.Hurst at mindspring.com
> Kennesaw, GA 30144
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